Thread 5 - TalkExiles: "The Planet Goes On Being Round"

[Kucinghitam]

Continuation of previous lifeboat threads (thread 4).

Gather here all ye refugees from the JTT Flat Earth Society, welcome to the reassuringly oblate spheroid of MN! Ye all already know the answers to the questions "How the heck do I format my post?" "Why can't I edit my typos?" "What do those acronyms mean?" and most importantly, "Where is everybody that I used to know?"

So really we're all here just to chat randomly.

I’ll stop all the clock-changing nonsense too.

You have my vote!

Yesterday there was enough residual light at 6 (18) 20 for me to see my way to the gate and the car without electrical assistance. Another three weeks and I'll be able to see the road when I'm driving back from Saturday evening mass (7-ish) - before I know it, an after-dinner stroll will be possible.

Mr T's mum has gone home after a four day stay. Not long, granted, but she chatters away from the moment she gets up until bed time and it's exhausting. We are now sitting quietly and sighing every now and then. Early night tonight.

I have a friend who I'm deeply fond of but she doesn't do silence so I can only spend time with her in short spurts. I really enjoy her company so I don't want to ruin things by being with her for too long.

I know the feeling well, Crow. I'm very fond of Mr T's mum, but she can talk for Britain and then has enough energy left over to dance all night, at the age of 82.

In other news my brother gave me a copy of Ovid's 'Metamorphoses', published in 8AD, which is a brick of a book. It looked rather daunting, but once I got started, it's really entertaining. It's an odd one, not really a poem or an epic, more a vast collection of short stories that link to one another. I said to Mr T I thought it was a bit like popular entertainment of the time, a sort of Tom and Jerry for the year 8AD, with lots of absurd capers and various beings being brutalised and/or being forced to change physical form.

My best friend (now dead, and much missed) was a talker. However much we loved her (and we really did) there were times when it felt like being in the path of a steamroller.

I get very overhwlemed by non stop talkers, I feel like they're holding my head and forcing me to look at them. I don't understand what is in it for them, just releasing a stream of consciousness onto a captured audience.

I accept this has as much to do with my introverted nature as it does their extrovert nature.

My son back in London by now, had a lovely weekend with, and great to be able to have a proper talk with him. Including The Topic, where his reaction was as I expected, unaware of much of it, and in full agreement with me.

Belated birthday wishes, duc, glad you had a good time with your son. Did you peak him?

Er, I think so 🤔not quite sure what that means. But I did beat him at snooker and pool! And amongst other things, he bought me a bottle of Bulleit Bourbon, gorgeous stuff.

not quite sure what that means

It means 'to have reached capacity', as in 'I can't take any more of this shit'.

Well, I don't think he'll be fire-bombing The Guardian's offices, but he's on the same page as me. 🙂

Thanks Tricyrtis, I've wondered what it meant.

Happy Birthday Duc!

Yes, sorry, Happy Birthday!

Thanks guys!

Ah - thought you'd all been quiet. Seems I've not yet got the hang of subscribing to threads here.

Happy slightly belated birthday, duc!

Bulleit bourbon is lovely - if unspellable.

Unexpected peacocks - I used to work in an office on Euston Road that went all the way through to Warren St at the back (will mean nothing to non Londoners, but there's always streetview). And someone in the terrace on the opposite side of Warren St had a pet peacock that used to strut along the little service platform thing that runs the whole length of the terrace. First time I heard it shriek I almost leapt out of my skin. It is not a noise you expect in the heart of London.

Bum washing loos are wonderful. I want a Japanese one. Trouble is, getting one requires organisation ...

I've just discovered that you can buy a bidet-type contraption to attach to your toilet, apparently easy enough for an idiot - that would be me - to install and it has two different hoses, well short water squirty things anyway. One for the back and one for lady parts. Less than forty of your quids. I can't get one immediately but I have it on my list of things I want to get. Imagine, my own pretend bidet and my lovely bum water pistol! Only cold water but I imagine that of a morning it might be quite the wake-up squirt.

It certainly would be in our house. The loos are both in unheated rooms, with the cistern against an outside wall.

Only cold water but I imagine that of a morning it might be quite the wake-up squirt.

You could consider that a bit of bonus functionality.

BinturongsSmellOfPopcorn · Today 01:11

And someone in the terrace on the opposite side of Warren St had a pet peacock that used to strut along the little service platform thing that runs the whole length of the terrace.

I have a rough idea of where Warren Street is - I may have been there / by on a visit to the Egyptology Museum (?). I've got all sorts of bits of disaggregated London geography in my brain!

Our new toilet is next to the towel rail / radiator, which is now on high, instead of 2. My wife was complaining that it was rubbish and cold... it's not now! The other toilet is in the garage and very cold today.

UCL's Petrie museum is nearby so that's quite likely, Sinner.

First day of spring in my flat. Very excited to see my orchid’s second bloom. I’m quite obsessed with orchids but it’s difficult to grow them now as K likes to perch on the windowsills, and also rub himself against the fragile stems.

Lovely! I can never keep them alive.

That's so beautiful - I wanted to buy one to keep me going through January but all the ones on offer (several vendors) in our town seemed to be unhealthy - hard enough to keep them going without starting at a disadvantage.